So This is what Love Feels Like Gaara Love Story
by RunNRide25
Summary: A love story between Gaara of the Sand and a girl with a mysterious past. GaaraXOC
1. Introduction

Hitomi Fujihara

(Hitomi: 瞳 "pupil of the eye". It can also come from 智 (hito) "wisdom, intellect" and 美 (mi) "beautiful" Fujihara: "wisteria meadow" (藤原))

Appearance: Long, black hair and red eyes

That's Hitomi. Actually, that's not her real last name, it's the name of her guardians. She has no idea what her real last name was or who her real parents were. When she was a baby, her brother brought her to her "parents" and begged them to help her. He also told them her real parents were dead. She was three months premature and barely alive. In order to save her life, her "mom" (who just so happened to be an expert at medical jutsus) performed an aging jutsu on her. However, this jutsu only worked in 5-year increments, so she went from a newborn to a five year old in about an hour (and gained the skills to walk, talk, etc). As soon as he was sure she would be ok, her brother left. He told her "parents" it was better if he wasn't around and warned them to keep her away from Konoha. So she lived with her new parents in their house in Suna.


	2. The Redheaded Boy

*About 9 years ago*

Hitomi was watching some other kids playing a game of soccer at the playground (she was much to shy to ask to join). One kid kicked the ball much to hard and it landed on the roof.

"Aww man, now look what you did!" one kid exclaimed.

"How're we gonna get it down?" another asked.

"We don't know the wall climbing technique yet."

"Whadda we do?"

Suddenly, she noticed the ball was being lifted off the roof by a cloud of sand. It lowered into the hands of a redheaded boy. He offered it to them, but instead of taking the ball,

"IT'S THE MONSTER!"

"HE'S GONNA GET US!"

"RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!"

"MOMMY!"

Hitomi watched as the other children ran away as fast as they could.

She looked back to see the redhead boy sitting on the ground, crying. It was _him_. That boy her mom told her never to talk to. But it hurt her to see him there so miserable, so she stood up and walked over to him. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Aren't you gonna run away from me too?" he asked.

"No, why would I run away?" Hitomi replied.

"Because I'm a monster."

"You're not a monster silly! Monsters are big and scary and you're just a boy."

"Didn't you see what I did with the sand?"

"Yeah, and that was the COOLEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN!"

"You . . . you really think so?" He started to tear up again.

"Yup. Oh hey I'm Hitomi. What's your name?"

"G-Gaara."

"Ok Garra, you're gonna be my new best friend!"

So for the next few weeks, Hitomi and Gaara played together whenever her mom wasn't around. That is, until she found out. Needless to say she was furious. Hitomi was basically under house arrest and her parents never let her out of their sight. Eventually, her parents decided to move to Kirigakure in order to keep her away from Gaara without having to constantly watch her. She never even got to say goodbye . . .


	3. Catching Up

Hitomi was now 14 years old (well, technically 9 but because of the aging jutsu she looked, acted, and thought like a 14 year old. She always went by her physical age rather than her calendar age.) While she was living in Kirigakure, her parents were killed in an accident caused by some internal village conflicts (they seem to have a lot of those, with clan feuds and the Akatsuki and all...). So she decided to leave Kirigakure to find another place to live. Her parents never had the chance to tell her the truth about her past before they died. They never told her to stay away from Konoha.

That's where she was heading.

Hitomi wanted to become a ninja there. She never was a mist ninja, but she had very advanced abilities. She had three chakra natures: fire, lightning, and water. She knew a wide variety of jutsus that her father had taught her. She also had _extremely_ advanced medical skills that she learned from her mother.


	4. Welcome to Konoha!

Hitomi walked into the gates of Konoha and was instantly greeted by the two ninjas guarding the gate. They politely ask her to state her business.

"Well, I'm from Kirigakure, but there's been a lot of conflict there recently so I decided to move. I was hoping I would be able to live here," she said.

"Oh, very well then," the guard said, "If you follow this main road you'll eventually come to the Hokage's mansion. You can't miss it. The Hokage will get you an apartment and anything else you need."

"Oh, ok. Thanks!"

She begin to travel down the street. _Man, those guards sure were friendly! I guess staying here won't be so bad! _she thought. Eventually, she reached the Hokage's mansion and made her way to the Hokage's office. She knocked on the door.

"Come in," said the 3rd Hokage.

"Umm, Hi. I'm Hitomi Fujihara. I was wondering if I could maybe live here?" Hitomi said.

"Of corse. You just have to answer a few questions for me. Alright, so your name is Hitomi Fujihara. Where are you from?"

"Well, I lived in Suna when I was little and I've lived in Kirigakure for most of my life. I left because there's been a lot of conflict there lately. My parents died because of it."

"Hm. I'm sorry to hear that. So, Hitomi, are you a ninja?"

"Well, not exactly. My father was a skilled ninja and my mother knew advanced medical ninjutsu, so they taught me everything they knew, but I never officially became a ninja. One of the Sensei's in Kirigakure told me once that I could be a jonin if I took the test."

"Would you like to?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Alright. Well, I'll contact the Mizukage and have your file sent over, then we'll schedule your jonin test. It'll probably be about two weeks from now. Here's your apartment key, and a village map so you can find your way around. If you need anything else, just ask."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama."

Hitomi went straight to her apartment and got herself settled in. Afterwords, she decided to head to the training grounds to practice for her jonin test. When she got there, she saw a silver-haired man with a mask reading a book, a black-haired kid leaning up against a tree, and a girl with pink hair yelling at a blonde boy.

"SERIOUSLY Naruto how can you expect to pass the chunin exams next month like this! You'll never be as good as Sasuke-kun, so why don't you just give up!" the pink haired girl exclaimed.

"Jeez Sakura, why don't you just lay off of Sasuke. He's not that great anyway! And I can't give up! I'm gonna be hokage, Believe it!" the blonde replied.

"Will you guys quit arguing? You're giving me a headache!" the black haired boy yelled.

_Me too . . . _Hitomi thought.

"Hey guys," she said, "Sorry to interrupt your 'training session,' but if you have your chunin exams next month, shouldn't you be doing something a little more, oh, I don't know, **productive**with your time?"

They all stopped and stared at her.

"Uh, have we met before?" the black haired boy asked.

"Doubt it. I just moved here," Hitomi said.

"Well then, I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm gonna be Hokage someday, Believe it!" the blonde said.

"Hi, I'm Sakura Haruna," said the girl.

"Sasuke Uchiha," the black haired boy stated.

"Hey there, I'm Kakashi Hatake," the silver haired man greeted.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Hitomi Fujihara."

So Hitomi trained with Team 7 for a while then went with them to Ichiraku's for some ramen. Later, they introduced her to all the other ninjas in their group of friends. She trained with them to practice for her jonin test and to help them prepare for the chunin exams. She passed her test with flying colors and became a jonin, and decided to work as a medical-nin at the Leaf Hospital (while still being available for missions as needed). A month passed and the chunin exams were ready to begin . . .


	5. The Monster Revealed

The Chunin Exams had already started, and the second round was about to begin. Hitomi decided she was going to have to go watch later. Sasuke was going to fight that kid from Suna everybody's talking about (what was his name again? oh well it doesn't matter . . .) But first, she had to go check on Lee. That Sand kid had beat him up real bad, and, seeing as Hitomi had the most advanced medical skills in the area, it was her job to care for him. She went to enter the room but froze when she heard a voice coming from the inside:

"I stole my mother's life at birth and as Kazekage's son; I was overprotected, spoiled and left alone. I thought that was love until that accident happened. These pasted six years, my father tried to assassinate me several times. So why do I exist and live? I asked myself that question but I could not find an answer. But I need those reasons while I am still alive or it would be the same as being dead. And this is what I concluded: I exist to kill everyone other than me. I fight only for myself and I only love myself. As long as there are people to kill in this world, to make me experience the joy of living, my existence will remain."

Hitomi stood there in shock. _How could somebody think like that? And why does his voice sound . . . familiar? _she thought.

As she stood there in a daze Guy Sensei rushed past her and into the room. She heard him say something about 'saving it for the ring,' and the Sand kid said some psychotic-sounding things to himself before walking out of the room.

Hitomi stood frozen in the hallway as he walked by her, slowly. His hand was on his head and he was staring at the ground, so he didn't even notice her.

_No . . . it, it can't be . . . ! _she thought.

She finally re-gained the ability to move and turned her head to look at him.

_It, it _**_is_**_ him! But, how is this possible? How could he have become so . . . so . . . ?_

He turned the corner. She wanted to run after him, she wanted to hug him, she wanted to tell him everything would be alright, but she couldn't. She just stood there, frozen in place.

_Gaara . . . my friend . . . what have you become?_


	6. You Left

Hitomi ran throughout the village, healing people as quickly as possible. The attack on Konoha had started. As she rushed through the streets, her thoughts flashed back to earlier today.

She was watching Gaara and Sasuke's fight; alone. She didn't want to sit by her friends. They were all cheering for Sasuke and, while she wanted him to do well, she couldn't go against Gaara either. That and she was crying through the entire match. Gaara just kept getting worse and worse. She couldn't stand to see him like this, but she couldn't bare to leave. Then, there was the transformation, and Shukaku began to take over.

So now, here she was. She could see Gaara and Naruto fighting in the distance.

_They've been going at it for quite a while. How much longer can they . . . wait, what's going on? _Hitomi thought.

Hitomi saw Gaara's Shukaku form disintegrate into sand, and Gaara and Naruto fell to the ground.

She immediate changed direction and raced towards them.

_Naruto . . . Gaara . . . please, be alright . . ._

She got there just as Sasuke did.

"Naruto, it's over. The sand disintegrated, Sakura's ok," Sasuke said.

"That's a releif . . ." Naruto said before passing out.

Hitomi looked at Sasuke. "We need to get 'em to the hospital."

"Right."

Sasuke picked up Naruto and Hitomi picked up Gaara.

"Wait," Sasuke said, "You're taking him to? But he's-"

"My friend," she cut him off.

She started off towards the hospital, Sasuke following close behind. Yeah, he was confused and wanted answers, but that'd have to wait until later. Right now, Gaara and Naruto needed help.

*Gaara's POV*

"Wait, you're taking him to? But he's-"

"My friend."

_Friend? Me? But, everyone . . . hates me . . . don't they? Who . . . is this girl?_

I was two exhausted to even think anymore. I couldn't move, so I just closed my eyes and let her take me away.

*Later that Day*

*Hitomi's POV*

Hitomi had just checked on Naruto. Of corse, he was doing fine; he always heals really fast. Now, she was heading for Gaara's room, and she were absolutely terrified. By now, he'd be more rested, more awake, more alert, and **able to tell who she was**. She knew he was not going to take it well. Who could blame him? She left without saying goodbye. Yeah, she had a reason, but would she even have time to explain? Hitomi saw how he had changed, what he was capable of, and it frightened her. But she knew she had to do this. He was so alone, and she was the only friend he had. That is, if he still thought of her that way . . .

Hitomi reached the door to his room. She took a deep breath, opened the door, and walked in. She saw him laying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. She didn't even know where to start or what to say.

"G-Gaara . . . ?" she said.

His eyes flashed over to her. A look of complete shock overtook his face for an instant, only to be taken over by sheer anger and hatred. He bolted up into a sitting position, and Hitomi was instantly surrounded by sand.

"You . . ." he growled, "You left . . . you left me all alone . . . just like everyone else . . . you told me you wouldn't run away and you lied! How dare you come back now! How dare you call me your friend! After what you did! You left me alone! You were my best friend, my only friend, and you betrayed me!"

He was slowly walking across the room towards Hitomi now. As he spoke, she felt the sand tightening his grip around her.

"Gaara . . . p-please . . . I can . . . explain . . ."

"You don't have to. I already figured it out. You hated me just like everyone else. You knew I was a monster. That's why you left, that's why you left me all alone! You lied to me!"

His sand was almost crushing her now. She could barely choke out:

"No . . . Gaara . . . It was . . . my parents . . . I never . . . meant to . . . leave . . ."

The sand stopped crushing her for a moment. This was her chance!

"When they found out you and I were playing together they locked me in my room. I tried to escape so I could come find you, but I couldn't. They watched my too closely, I couldn't get away. Then, they decided to move so I couldn't see you anymore. I never meant to leave!"

The sand began to disintegrate away from her. Gaara just stood there, his face unreadable. Hitomi walked over and stood right in front of his face.

"Gaara, I'm so sorry. I NEVER thought you were a monster, and I still don't! It's not you, It's that **thing** inside you!** You **are no monster, Gaara, so don't you dare think that you are! You are a shinobi of Suna, and my best friend. **That **is what you are. You don't need to hurt anyone, you don't need to kill to exist. Not anymore."

She wrapped him in a hug, and tears began to fall from his eyes.

"Shh, Gaara, it's ok. Everythings gonna be ok now . . ." she comforted.

He just stood there as she hugged him, and they stayed like that for a long time. After about 25 minutes, Gaara finally calmed down.

"You ok now?" Hitomi asked.

"Yeah, it's just . . . I've only ever dreamed that someone would say that, would look past Shukaku and into me." Gaara said.

"Well, that's what friends are for!"

"Friends . . . I have a friend . . . so this is how it feels . . . maybe, Naruto was right . . ."

_What? Oh well I'll ask Naruto later._ Hitomi thought._ "_Well, you should probably get some rest. You've been through a lot today, a good nap might do you good!"

"I . . . can't sleep . . . That's when Shukaku takes over."

"Hm. Let me see your seal."

"What?"

"When you focus your chakra the seal keeping Shukaku inside you becomes visible on your stomach. I wanna see it."

"Mmm, alright."

Gaara removed his shirt (which wasn't a bad sight) and focused his chakra. The seal appeared, and it shocked her.

"G-Gaara, how in the name of Jashin are you able to keep that **thing** under control with only this?" Hitomi asked.

"What do you mean?"

"This is the weakest seal I have ever seen! No wonder you have problems controlling him!"

"Is there . . . something that can be done about it?"

"Hm. Tell you what. I know quite a bit about sealing jutsus. After you get yourself healed up I'll strengthen the seal."

"Is that . . . possible?"

"Yeah. You'll have way more control and you'll be able to sleep. But for now, just kinda relax. I can't do anything about it if you're all beat up!"

Hitomi turned around and opened the door to leave.

". . . Hitomi?"

"Yes?"

" . . . thank you."

She smiled. "No problem."


	7. Sealing Shukaku

*Two weeks later*

Hitomi and Gaara had spent a lot of time together in the hospital over the last couple weeks catching up. She told him about how her parents died and he told her about how so many different people tried to kill him. They both told each other how much they had missed each other over the last several years. It wasn't uncommon for one or both of them to tear up occasionally due to one thing or another. But now, Gaara was all healed up and he and his siblings were planning on leaving the next day.

It was time.

Hitomi led Gaara to a place in the woods where she had etched out a pattern on the ground.

"Ok, Gaara," she said, "I need you to take off your shirt and lay down in the middle of this pattern."

"Ok," he said. He took off his shirt and laid down.

"Alright, now I have to warn you, this is going to hurt. It shouldn't take that long, but it is going to be very painful. All I need you to do is stay focused and keep your sand from killing me."

"Hn. I understand."

"Now, are you absolutely sure about this?"

"Yes I am sure. I trust you, Hitomi."

Hitomi nodded, wove some hand signs, and placed her hands on Gaara's abs. His rock hard, sexy abs. She shook the thought from her head. _Can't think about that now. Have to focus._ She began the sealing jutsu. Immediately, Gaara's body tensed up and he groaned. Hitomi felt Shukaku try to resist as she strengthened the seal. Then, sand slowly began to wrap around and squeeze her arms. She winced as it started to hurt.

"Gaara . . . the sand . . ."

". . . sorry . . . I'm trying"

"Just try to hold it where it is. This shouldn't take much longer."

The sand stopped creeping up her arms. Now she could finalize the seal. Hitomi gave an extra burst of chakra, and Gaara bit his lip holding back from screaming out in pain. Then, his entire body relaxed. Beads of sweat dripped down his brow.

"There . . . it's done. How do you feel?" Hitomi asked.

Gaara opened his eyes. Then his eyes widened.

"I can't . . . feel him anymore! He's still there, but . . . I don't have to fight him . . ."

A look of relief swept over his face.

"Good. Now why don't you get some rest? You need to catch up on your sleep!" Hitomi said.

"Yeah . . ." he said, already drifting off to sleep.

Hitomi sat there in the woods with him for several hours while he slept. Then it started to get dark, so she picked him up and carried him back to the inn where Kankuro and Temari were. As they opened the door, they stared at Gaara in total shock and panic. But before they could ask any questions or wake Gaara up, she said:

"Shh! I'll explain everything in a moment, just let me set him down." Hitomi said to them.

They nodded and let her in. She laid Gaara down in a bed and pulled the blankets over him. She smiled as she looked at him, sleeping peacefully for the first time in his life, then turned and went back to Kankuro and Temari.

"Ok, what gives. How is Gaara sleeping and nothing's happening?" Kankuro asked.

"Well, when Gaara was in the hospital, he told me he couldn't sleep because of Shukaku. I looked at his seal only to find that it was incredibly weak. So, I strengthened it for him," Hitomi said.

"You mean, there's no danger of Shukaku running loose while Gaara sleeps anymore?" Temari asked.

"Nope. Plus, Gaara now has a **lot **more control over him. He won't be able to take over Gaara's body anywhere near that easily anymore," Hitomi replied.

"Hn. That's amazing. How did you even know how to do that?" Kankuro asked.

"My dad knew a lot of jutsus. This was just one that I happened to learn from him," said Hitomi.

"Well, thank you," Temari said.

"No problem. But hey, I probably should get going. Gaara is probably gonna sleep until you guys are ready to leave tomorrow. Oh, and if I don't see you, tell Gaara I said goodbye and I hope to see him again soon. Have a safe trip!"

"Bye Hitomi," they said.


	8. A Visit from the Sandman

*~2 months later*

Hitomi was sitting on the roof of her apartment. She couldn't sleep, so she had decided to just sit outside and look at the stars. Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her. She turned around to see . . .

"Gaara!" She ran over and hugged him.

"Hello Hitomi. It's good to see you."

"Yeah you too. What're you doing here?"

"I was sent on a mission along with some Leaf ninjas. We just returned and I was going to find an inn to stay in. But then I saw you on the roof . . ."

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep. *thinks for a moment* You know, getting a room would be kinda difficult at this hour, y'wanna just crash here?"

"Well, if you don't mind. It will only be for tonight. My plan was to return to Suna tomorrow, after visiting you, of corse."

"Oh it's no problem at all! Come on, you can sleep in my room. I'll sleep on the couch."

She lead Gaara into her apartment and to her room. Gaara took one look at her king size bed and said:

"Hitomi, why are you sleeping on the couch when you have a bed big enough for five people?"

"Well . . . umm . . . I don't know."

"We can share. I don't mind."

"Ok then."

They crawled into opposite sides of the bed. Gaara fell asleep almost instantly.

_Hmm. Must've been really tired from his mission. _Hitomi thought.

She, however, still couldn't sleep. After laying there for about 20 minutes, she felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her waist. She looked over at Gaara as he pulled her close to his chest, still asleep. She smiled, and felt herself blush. She wasn't falling for her best friend, was she? Well, he was cute, and she felt so warm and safe in his arms . . .

Hitomi smiled to herself as she drifted off to sleep.

*Then Next Morning*

Hitomi woke up and Gaara was already awake. His arms were still wrapped around her.

"Hi Gaara," she said.

"Oh, good morning Hitomi."

He blushed and removed his arms from around her.

"Sorry, I just . . . well, I didn't want to wake you . . ." he said.

"It's ok. Did you sleep good?"

"Yes. Very well thank you."

"Good!" She smiled.

They got up and had some breakfast. Unfortunately, Gaara had to leave right away. Hitomi walked with him to the gates of Konoha.

"Hey if you're ever around don't be a stranger, 'k?: Hitomi said to him.

"And if you are ever near Suna, I expect you to visit too."

Hitomi wrapped Gaara in a hug. "See you later, Gaara. I'll miss you."

Gaara slowly wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back.

"I will miss you too, Hitomi," He said as a smile crept across his face.

Then, he turned and started back for Suna. Hitomi stood at the gates and watched him leave.

_Wow, he actually hugged me back!_ she thought, _And he _**_smiled_**_, like, a real smile! Not that 'I'm gonna kill you' grin! _She smiled to herself. _He's starting to get it. He's no monster._


	9. Time Skip

(This chapter basically just fills in what all happened in the time skip between Naruto and Shippuden, when Naruto went to train with Jiraiya and all that)

Hitomi was now 16 years old. Over the last couple years, she's spent most of her time working in the hospital. She really hasn't been on any major missions. Every now and again she or Gaara go on a mission and are able to see each other, but they mostly communicate through letters. Over time, Gaara has become a much more caring and open person, and the two of them have become extremely close. When he became Kazekage, Hitomi was so incredibly excited for him, but she knew it put him in a lot of danger. Being a jinchuriki, the Akatsuki was already after him, plus now he was the leader of a great nation. But he was a strong ninja so she didn't worry about him too much. Oh, and by the way, at this point, she's realized that she is, in fact, deeply in love with him. :)


	10. The Death of Gaara

Hitomi and team Guy have been sent as reinforcements to help rescue Gaara. They sped through the forest towards Suna. Normally, it would be Lee and Guy pushing the pace.

Not today.

"Umm, Hitomi-chan?" Lee said, "While I admire your drive and youthful passion, I think that Neji and Tenten are not accustomed to these means of travel and would benefit from a short break."

She looked at Lee then back at the others. She wanted to reach Suna as soon as possible, but he was right.

"Ok. Lets take a break," she said.

Hitomi leaned up against a tree, her thoughts focused on the mission at hand. Gaara had been captured by the Akatsuki. The Akatsuki wanted Shukaku. In order to get Shukaku, Gaara would have to . . . well, she really didn't want to think about that. They _had _to get there in time, and here they were sitting around in the woods. She knew that the others needed a break, but she couldn't lose Gaara. It was all so annoying. Guy must've noticed her annoyance, as he turned to the others and said:

"Well, that should be enough rest for now. After all we have to rescue the Kazekage! Onward, with the power of youth!"

"Yes, Guy Sensei!" Lee said.

Neji and Tenten sighed. "Hai."

_finally! _Hitomi thought. "Hai!"

They made their way towards Suna and met up with Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, and Chiyo. They all made their way to the hideout, where they discovered the seals. Hitomi accompanied Lee to remove one of the seals. The two of them defeated their clones relatively quickly (seeing as they could fight each other's clones) and headed back to where Chiyo and Sakura were fighting Sasori.

As Lee and Hitomi entered the hideout, it was obvious that the fighting had been going on a long time. Pieces of puppets were scattered everywhere, and Sasori had emerged in his true form.

Then, she saw him.

"GAARA!" Hitomi screamed, and started to run over to him. She were stopped by Lee, who had grabbed her arm. He just looked at her with a sad expression on his face and shook his head. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked back at Gaara.

"Gaara . . . no . . . you can't be . . ."

but she knew it was true.

Gaara was dead.

"I see you have realized the truth," Sasori said, "The Kazekage is dead. He died right after we extracted Shukaku. But don't worry, it wasn't **too** excruciatingly painful for him."

**"You . . . you killed him . . . my best friend . . . you, YOU KILLED GAARA!" **Hitomi screamed.

Anger coursed through Hitomi's body. Then, she got **that** feeling again. The same feeling she got when her parents locked her in her room away from Gaara, when she found her parents dead, when she watched Gaara's transformation. That feeling when her eyesight sharpens and she feels more powerful than normal. But this time, it was different. Her sight was even sharper, she felt more power. There was no stopping her. Hitomi charged at Sasori. He directed his puppets at her, but she destroyed them without trouble. It was almost like she could see what they were going to do before they did it. She activated her chidori (Kakashi taught her over the time skip) and thrust it straight through Sasori's heart so fast he didn't have a moment to react. He fell to the ground, and Hitomi followed up with another chidori. She didn't care if he was already dead. She wasn't taking chances. At this point, Guy, Tenten, Neji, Naruto, and Kakashi had just returned. Hitomi was still beating Sasori's lifeless body. So what if he was already dead? He killed Gaara! It felt good, so she continued firing off random attacks and slamming his body into whatever was closest. She was about to start up another attack when Lee yelled,

"Hitomi, stop. He's already dead. It won't do any good. It won't bring Gaara back."

She stopped, her back turned to the others. Tears began to fall from her eyes. She knew he was right.

"Come on, Hitomi, lets go," he said.

She turned to face them, and their eyes widened in shock.

"No way . . ." said Naruto.

"...but, how?" Sakura wondered.

"How can she...?" Chiyo questioned.

"That's . . . impossible . . ." Kakashi said.

"What?" Hitomi asked.

"Hitomi . . . your eyes . . ." Lee said.

"Huh?" Hitomi asked.

But no one answered. They just stared into her eyes in shock.


	11. Revival

"Ok, seriously guys, you're starting to creep me out. What's up with my eyes?" Hitomi asked.

"You mean, you don't know?" Neji asked.

"If I knew, would I be asking?"

Neji was silent.

"Come on guys, seriously, what's up with my eyes?"

"Hitomi . . . you have...the sharingan," Naruto said.

Hitomi's eyes widened. She was shocked. "What do you mean I have the sharingan?"

"I mean I am looking at your eyes and they are red with a black pattern in them!" Naruto exclaimed.

"More specifically, you have the Mangekyou Sharingan," Kakashi said.

"WHAAT?" Hitomi was even more shocked now.

"Must've activated when you saw Gaara. I know you guys were really close ever since you were kids," Kakashi said.

"Yeah...OH MY GOSH GAARA!"

Jeez, with all this excitement/confusion she got distracted and almost forgot. Hitomi ran over to Gaara, closely followed by the others.

"Gaara . . . . . .?" Hitomi whispered.

She heard a rumbling/crackling noise. She looked up . . .

"Everyone out! The hideout's collapsing!" Kakashi yelled.

"HAI!" they all exclaimed.

They all escaped safely, and ended up in a grass field. Hitomi laid Gaara in the grass. Sakura checked Gaara's vitals (out of sheer hope), but it was no use, he was dead. She just shook her head sadly. Hitomi and Naruto both burst into tears.

_Gaara . . . no, you can't . . . you can't be dead, you can't leave me, I . . . love you . . . _Hitomi thought.

(**note**: I took this excerpt from the Naruto manga volume 31 pgs 137-141, so all this belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and is not mine! I just really like Naruto's dialog here.)

". . . Why . . . Gaara . . . ? Why always Gaara . . .? If he dies like this . . . ! He's Kazekage . . . he's just become Kazekage . . ." Naruto choked out.

"Calm down . . . Uzumaki Naruto . . ." Chiyo said.

"SHUT UP!"

". . ."

"IF YOU SAND NINJA . . . HADN'T PUT THAT MONSTER IN GAARA . . . NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED! DID YOU EVER EVEN CONSIDER WHAT GAARA THOUGHT? DID YOU EVER EVEN ASK? . . . YOU CALL HIM A JINCHURIKI HOST? WHO ARE YOU TO DECIDE THAT FATE FOR SOMEONE ELSE?"

. . .

*sob . . . sob . . . sob*

". . . Naruto . . ." Sakura whispered.

". . . I couldn't save Sasuke . . . I can't save Gaara . . . for three years . . . I trained like crazy . . . but nothing has changed . . ."

(end excerpt)

Chiyo got a real serious look on her face and went over to where Gaara's body laid. Then, she began to perform the life-transfer jutsu on Gaara, using some of Naruto's chakra. Hitomi sat nearby, hoping, praying that it would work. Suddenly, Chiyo collapsed and Gaara's eyes slowly opened. Everyone was obviously excited and Hitomi practically tackled him with a hug, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks. A few minutes later, Hitomi were able to calm herself and as she wiped the tears from her eyes she said in a sarcastically loving tone:

"Jeez, Gaara, I go to all that trouble to make a better seal for Shukaku and you just end up having him removed. Glad to know my work is appreciated."

Gaara just smiled.


	12. Confessions

*Time skip to later that night*

Gaara had invited (well, kinda insisted) that the entire team stay at the Kazekage mansion for the night, so they had all traveled back to Suna and Gaara gave them each their own room. But Hitomi wasn't in her room; she was on the roof. She couldn't sleep, so she had headed up to the roof to look at the stars and think. She felt a presence behind her, so she turned around. It was Gaara. He wasn't wearing his normal Kazekage clothes, just a black shirt and dark jeans.

"What're you doing up here so late?" Hitomi asked him.

"I was about to ask you the same."

"I couldn't sleep, so I came up here just to clear my head," she shivered from a gust of wind, "but it's kinda getting cold up here."

"Hm. Come with me."

Hitomi followed Gaara to a window and climbed through into his room. They sat next to each other on his bed.

"You said you had to clear your head. Is something bothering you?" Gaara asked.

"Well, It's just that the last couple days have really thrown me for a loop. I mean, the entire way here I was so worried about you. But then I got here and you were dead, I got so angry at that Sasori guy so I killed him. Plus I was so sad that I had lost you but then Chiyo-basama saved you and I was so happy . . ."

"You went through all of that because of me?"

"You're my best friend, Gaara. I care about you a lot, so of course I'm going to feel like that."

"Hmm . . ."

". . . So, you never answered me. What're you doing up?"

"Umm . . ."

"Come on, Gaara, you can tell me."

". . . I am also struggling with my feelings. I do completely understand them yet, and one feeling is particularly difficult to figure out."

"Well, what does it feel like?"

"Like . . . there are butterflies in my stomach, and I am often unable to think clearly. It makes me feel happy and nervous at the same time. But at the same time, it feels very . . . nice . . ."

_He's not . . . is he? _Hitomi thought. "Umm, do you get this feeling when you're around a certain person? A girl, perhaps?"

"Yes, and also when I think about her."

_He is . . . well, I guess I should be happy for him . . . _"Gaara . . . I think that you're . . . in love with this girl . . ."

"Love . . . so this is what Love feels like . . ."

Hitomi watched as Gaara smiled and a tear rolled down his cheek.

Love . . . I never thought . . . I never thought I could . . . that someone like me could . . . love . . ." he whispered.

More tears began to run down his cheeks.

"Oh no Gaara don't cry!" Hitomi said as she hugged him.

Gaara turned and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to his chest. She blushed. He had never hugged her like this before.

He whispered, "Hitomi, thank you. You are the best friend I could ever want. You looked past the monster in me when no one else would. You cared for me when everyone else hated me. I can't thank you enough. I . . . I Love You."

Her eyes widened in shock.

_He was . . . talking about me? _she thought. "Gaara . . ." she whispered.

She placed her hand on his face and pulled him in for a kiss. He was shocked.

"I Love You too," Hitomi said.

Gaara smiled and pulled her in for a much more passionate kiss.


	13. A Night with the Kazekage

(This chapter has a lot of POV switches so I'm sorry if it gets kind of confusing.)

(Gaara's POV)

"I Love You too." Hitomi said.

That was all I needed to hear. I kissed her with more passion than I ever thought I was capable of. Her arms wrapped around my neck and I pulled her body close to mine. I had felt like this for so long, and now that I knew what it was, my love for her became even stronger. I laid her down on my bed and crawled over top of her, kissing her even more. Soon I felt her break away gasping for air. I propped myself up and admired her. Her silky hair, her beautiful eyes, her soft skin, and that was just her face! Her body was like that of a goddess, her shape formed into perfect curves. I couldn't help but stare at her. I wanted her _soo _badly . . .

(Hitomi's POV)

I laid on Gaara's bed gasping for air. _Daang, that boy's a good kisser! Wait, why is he looking at me like that? _

"Gaara-kun?"

(Gaara)

_Man, I love it when she says my name!_

"Yes, Hitomi-chan?"

(Hitomi)

_Dang, his voice is sexy!_

"umm, why are you looking at me like that?"

Gaara smirked. "Because you are _soo _beautiful"

I felt my cheeks flare up, Gaara chuckled.

"Well, it's true . . ."

He leaned down to whisper in my ear:

"_I find you _**_extremely_**_ attractive . . ._"

That was it. Next thing Gaara knew he was laying on his back with me straddling his hips. His eyes widened but then a smirk crept across his face. I leaned forward to kiss him, and his lips met mine in a passionate kiss. I felt his tongue sweep across my lips, asking for entrance, but I wouldn't let him in. I felt his hands slide under my shirt and grab my cleavage, causing me to gasp.

(Gaara)

_I knew that would work. _I smiled to myself.

Hitomi gasped gaining me entrance into her mouth. I began to explore every corner of her mouth as I continued to massage her cleavage. She let out a soft moan and I reached behind her back unhooking her bra. Then, in one swift motion I pulled her shirt and bra off, tossed them to the side, and flipped her over so that I was on top. I smiled as she blushed a bright red. "No fair" she pouted. Still smiling, I pulled my shirt off and tossed it aside.

(Hitomi)

"Better?" Gaara asked.

I gazed at his sexy body and ran my fingers down his washboard abs, causing him to shudder.

"oh yeah . . ." I replied

He chuckled began kissing my jaw line and my neck. He kissed my soft spot and I let out a soft moan. A smile crept across his lips, then he began kissing, sucking, and nibbling at my soft spot, causing me to moan louder. After he had left his mark claiming me as his, he focused his attention on my cleavage. He began to kiss, nibble, and suck all over my cleavage as I moaned in pleasure. Then he kissed his way back up to my lips. As we passionately kissed I flipped over on top of him. I slowly swept my fingers over his abs causing him to shudder again.

(Gaara)

I shuddered as Hitomi traced my abs with her fingertips. I was _soo _turned on. Then her hands slipped down to my waist and slipped my jeans off. She smiled mischievously as she slipped her hand into my boxers. She wrapped her hand around 'myself' and began pumping at a steady pace. I leaned my head backed and moaned in pleasure, "mmm, Hitomi-chan."

(Hitomi)

A grin crept across my face as Gaara moaned in pleasure. I slipped off his boxers with my other hand and tossed them aside. I have to admit I was shocked at his size at first, but then again it _was_ Gaara after all! I leaned my head down and looked at Gaara out of the corner of my eye. His eyes widened and his body trembled with anticipation. I leaned down, gave a quick lick on his tip, and picked my head back up, a mischievous grin on my face.

"_Hitomi-chann . . ._" Gaara wined.

"What is it Gaara-kun? Is something wrong?" I asked innocently, licking my lips once I had said it.

"_Please . . . don't tease like that . . ._"

I smiled, leaning my head back down and beginning to suck on 'himself.' Gaara moaned out of sheer pleasure. I began moving faster and he soon came in my mouth.

(Gaara)

OMFJ that felt**_ soo _good**! I brought Hitomi's face up to mine and kissed her passionately. I began to massage her sides and cleavage. **I wanted her _soo badly_**. I went to flip her over so I was on top but she sensed it and held me down.

"Something wrong Gaara-kun?" she teased.

I tried again, but she stopped me.

"I'm sorry, did you want something?"

I got an idea.

(Hitomi)

"I want _you_" Gaara said in that sexy husky voice of his. Suddenly I felt something wrapping around my waist. I looked down to see Gaara's sand coiled around my waist and beginning to wrap around my arms and legs. Gaara used the sand to pick me up and pin me against the bed. My hands were 'tied' with the sand over my head and my legs were pulled apart. Gaara crawled on top of me, a smirk creeping across his lips. He began to kiss along my jawline and neck as he tore off my shorts and thong. I gasped then moaned as I felt him insert two fingers into 'myself.' He continued to kiss down my neck and onto my cleavage. I leaned my head back closing my eyes and moaning out of pleasure. I felt his fingers exit 'myself' and felt something warm and wet take their place. I opened my eyes and saw Gaara licking and nibbling hungrily at 'myself,' and it felt _soo amazing!_ His tongue slid inside me and my entire body shuddered. "Ga-Gaara-kunn..." I moaned. Every lick and nibble caused me to moan and shudder a bit. _OMJ Gaara is amazing!_

(Gaara)

"mmm . . . Gaara-sama"

Normally I would tell Hitomi to just call me Gaara (or Gaara-kun, I like that too!) when she called me that, but right now it just turned me on even more. I brought my face back up to hers.

"_Did you want something, Hitomi-chan?"_

(Hitomi)

I felt 'himself' rubbing up against 'myself'

"_I want...you...inside me..."_

(Gaara)

I smiled, and whispered into her ear,

"_Are you _**_surree _**_you want me to do that?"_

(Hitomi)

_His voice is so sexy!_

_"absolutely"_

A smile crept across his face.

"as you wish"

I felt 'himself' slide inside 'myself.' It hurt for a minute, but then turned to sheer pleasure. I moaned in pleasure and Gaara deepened his strokes. He started going faster and faster as I moaned. We both climaxed at the same time, a shudder moving through my body and my back arching as I screamed his name. I felt the sand release it's grip on my body. I looked up at Gaara who was panting heavily (who could blame him? he was tired!) but I wasn't done with him yet.

(Gaara)

I let my sand slip away from Hitomi. She felt _sooo_ good. I was all definitely worth how tired I was now. Suddenly I noticed a mischievous grin creep across her face. Next thing I knew I was on my back and she was riding me. I massaged her hips as she rocked and bounced on 'myself,' causing 'myself' to move deeper and deeper into 'herself.' "mmm, Hitomi-chan..." I moaned. She continued to ride me until we both climaxed again.

(Hitomi)

I shuddered as I felt his warm fluid flow into 'myself.' I leaned down and kissed him as I climbed off of 'himself' and laid down next to him. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close to him.

"I Love You Hitomi"

"I Love You too Gaara"

We fell asleep in each other's arms.


	14. Your Guess is as Good as Mine

"Hmm . . ."

Everyone had just returned to Konoha this morning. As usual, they immediately brought their report to Lady Tsunade. Right now, Tsunade had Hitomi's file along with every file of anyone anywhere near related to the Uchiha clan on her desk, along with Hitomi's parents' files.

"What is it, Lady Hokage?" Kakashi asked.

"Nothing. Just that: nothing. I can't find any connection between Hitomi's family and the Uchihas. I have no idea where your sharingan came from," Tsunade replied.

"There has to be some connection somewhere. The sharingan is a kekkei-genkai; she can't have it without somehow being related to an Uchiha," Sakura protested.

"I've searched through every single one of these files twice and I've been unable to find any sort of connection," Tsunade said.

"And she didn't even know she had the sharingan, so it couldn't have been a transplant or anything," Naruto stated.

"Hitomi, did either of your parents have the sharingan?" Tsunade asked.

"No. Well, not that I know of anyway," Hitomi replied.

"Strange. Well then, in that case, I officially have no idea. Your guess is as good as mine as far as how you got it. I'll have Intelligence look for further information but as of now I have nothing. You have the sharingan, and that's all there is to it."


	15. So You Do Exist

(*Time Skip*)

Hitomi sprinted through the forest following Naruto's trail (good thing he had been in such a hurry he left an obvious trail). She knew where she would end up; wherever Sasuke was. The last few days have been crazy. First she's accompanying Naruto to the 5 Kage Meeting to plea for Sasuke's life, then she finds out the truth about Itachi from Tobi aka Mandara, then she finds out Sakura is going to try and kill Sasuke so Kakashi chases after her and Naruto chases after them and now she's chasing after Naruto.

This was crazy.

Soon enough she reached the bridge where Sasuke and the others were fighting (at the point where Sasuke and Naruto go at each other with their Chidori/Rasengan and have their little 'mental conversation'). Hitomi watch as Naruto and Sasuke were thrown from the explosion. She was about to jump in but all of a sudden Madara appeared.

"What's going on Sasuke?" Madara asked, "I told you to go home and rest. . . . . The nine-tails, huh? It seems you cannot suppress the urge to fight when you two get together. I'll arrange a proper place for you to hunt the nine-tails. For now, we retreat."

Hitomi couldn't let Madara escape. She came up behind him and went to punch him in the back of the head, **hard**, but she went RIGHT THROUGH HIM! She landed on her hands and knees on the water.

_What just happened? _She thought

"Foolish child, you cannot touch me." Madara said.

_I forgot! It must be the Jikukan Ido (Space-Time Migration). I wonder if . . . ?_

She quickly spun around with her mangekyo sharingan activated and nailed him in the stomach, sending him crashing into the cliff.

"I had a feeling that would work," Hitomi said.

(note: I just made this up so I don't know if the mangekyo really could work against jikukan ido. It's a fanfic so I can do that!)

"How did you . . . !" Madara exclaimed.

He looked at Hitomi with what she assumed was disbelief (seeing as she couldn't tell for sure with the mask and all). She just glared at him.

"So, you do exist . . . Hitomi Uchiha."

_That's impossible! Lady Tsunade triple checked all the records! _Hitomi thought.

"My name is Hitomi **Fujihara**. I'm not an Uchiha. Lady Tsunade checked all the records in Konoha, Kirigakure, and Suna on my family. There. Is. No. Connection."

Why she were so defensive about it, she didn't know. Hitomi did have her suspicions of some missing connection between her and the Uchiha clan, but she never considered she could actually **be** one of them. If that were the case, it would have to mean . . .

"They never told you, did they?" Madara asked.

". . . Who never told me what?" Hitomi asked.

"Your parents never told you what really happened on your birthday, hm?"

"Yeah, I was premature and they had to use an aging jutsu to save me. What's that got to do with anything?"

"That's all the told you? Interesting."

She glared at him. He obviously knew something about her past that she didn't, and now he was just toying with her.

"Sasuke, wasn't your mother pregnant when she was killed?" Madara asked.

". . . Yeah . . ." Sasuke replied.

"Hm. You see, Hitomi, Sasuke wasn't the only one Itachi spared when he murdered the clan. Immediately after he killed your mother, he cut you out. He knew he would never be able to convince the elders to spare both you and Sasuke, so he took you someplace away from the village to keep you safe."

"So, that means, Hitomi is my . . ."

"And Sasuke is my . . ."

"That's right. You two are brother and sister."

Both of them just stood there in shock. They _never_ expected this.

"Then that means, . . . Itachi . . . and, my family . . ." Hitomi whispered.

"That's right. You're entire family (minus Sasuke) is dead; killed by Itachi by order of Konoha," Madara said.

. . .

"Come with us, Hitomi. Join me, as Sasuke has, to take your revenge on Konoha and restore your clan!"

". . . **_never_**_,_" Hitomi growled.

"They forced Itachi to kill our family, Hitomi, they need to suffer for their actions.," Sasuke said.

"No. You're wrong. It may be true that they ordered Itachi to kill our clan, but it wasn't without reason. Our clan was planning an uprising, Sasuke. EVERYONE was in on it, they were going to destroy anything and anyone in the village that got in their way. Sure maybe killing them all wasn't the best option, but what were they supposed to do? Maybe it's easier for me to say since I never met any of the clan, but I do know this for sure. I knew the third Hokage well. He would not authorize the killing of a single person, let alone an entire clan, without exploring every possibility of every action that could be taken _and _making sure there was a legitimate reason for authorization."

. . .

"Open your eyes, Sasuke. Forget all this revenge crap. It's killing you. Come back to the village. Come back to us . . . to me . . . we can restore our clan, but not like this."

". . . Hitomi . . ." Sasuke whispered.

"Don't listen to her Sasuke. Remember your goal. She may be your sister, but she is the enemy," Madara said.

". . . right . . ."

"Let's go . . ."

(Naruto gives his big spiel about how if Sasuke ever attacks the village how they'll have to fight each other and kill each other etc etc then Madara and Sasuke leave)


	16. I Don't Know What to Believe Anymore

Hitomi slammed the door to her apartment. She fumed with anger. She had just come from Lady Tsunade's office, well, more like stormed off from her office.

Yeah, she knew.

She knew Hitomi was an Uchiha. She had found out when Hitomi had bloodwork done a couple years ago when she got really sick. Tsunade claimed she didn't tell her because she wanted to keep her safe, but to lie to her face when she said she couldn't find a connection between Hitomi and the Uchihas? That was too much.

It was late, so Hitomi changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed, but she couldn't fall asleep. Her thoughts kept shifting back to Sasuke. They had been extremely close friends before he left, so it's not like she hadn't though about him before, but this was different. Now that she knew he was her brother, she was all the more concerned for him. She knew Madara's true intentions, and knowing Sasuke he would have never gone along with it. That meant Madara had to be manipulating him, using him somehow.

_Yeah, and the thing about that is it never turns out good for the person being used_ Hitomi thought to herself. There had to be a way to bring him back . . .

Suddenly, she heard a knocking sound. She sat up and saw a figure sitting on the roof right outside her window.

_What in the . . . ?_

She grabbed a kunai and cautiously headed over to the window. She opened it and were taken back by shock.

"SAS-"

His hand covered her mouth.

"Hey Hitomi . . . umm, can I come in?" Sasuke whispered.

Hitomi nodded her head and stepped back to let Sasuke into her room.

"What're you doing here?" Hitomi asked, "You realize every ninja in the village has orders to capture you and bring you to Tsunade dead or alive?"

". . . Yeah . . . I just . . . needed to talk to you," Sasuke replied.

Hitomi sighed. "Ok. What's up."

". . . Ever since we fought the last time, I've been thinking about things a lot, and it's really confused me."

"Sasuke is this all about us being brother and sister? Because nobody other than Itachi knew that for a long time."

"Yes, but . . .Wait, are there...others who know?"

"Tsunade found out when she did blood tests on me when I got sick after you left, but she didn't tell anybody. For my safety or whatever." Hitomi rolled her eyes.

"Oh . . . well it is that along with the truth about Itachi, along with what I overheard the other day . . ."

"Hmm?"

". . . Madara and Zetsu were talking and I heard them say . . . things . . . about me, and how I fit into their plan . . . "

"Sasuke . . ."

Sasuke was getting angry now. "They're just using me. They don't really want to help me, they just want to use my abilities to help them take over the world. Then they'll probably just find some way to get rid of me. They're just the same as Orochimaru! They don't want to help me, they just want to use me! It . . . It's just so frustrating! I'm tired of being lied to! I just, I don't know, I don't know what to believe anymore . . . !"

He started tearing up now. Hitomi felt so bad for him. It was true, most of his life he had been living off the lie about his brother, he has been manipulated by both Orochimaru and Madara, and now he finds out he has a sister. Hitomi wrapped her arms around him.

"I may not have all the answers, Sasuke, but I do know this; you're my brother and my friend, and I love you. And Naruto and Sakura and all the others, they really care about you too. We all want you back, and if you decide you want to come back to Konoha, they'd all be so happy. They'd gladly accept you back into the village," she said.

". . . Can I stay here tonight Hitomi?" Sasuke asked.

"Of course."


	17. Return

Hitomi woke up the next morning and walked to the kitchen to make herself some breakfast. When she got there she saw Sasuke leaning against the counter with his arms crossed staring at the floor deep in thought.

"Morning Sasuke, what's up?" she asked.

Sasuke continued to stare into space.

"Sasuke? . . . Hell-OH! Earth to Sasuke!"

"...hm? Oh, sorry, I was just . . . thinking . . ."

"About our crazy family again?"

He smirked. "...yeah..."

Hitomi chuckled to herself and started to make breakfast.

". . . Hitomi?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you really think . . . it would be possible . . . for me to live here again?"

Hitomi's body froze in shock, but her head snapped to look at Sasuke.

"Sasuke . . ."

"Nevermind. It wouldn't work. I left by my own decision, I worked for Orochimaru, one of Konoha's worst enemies, and I joined up with the Akatsuki and Mandara. Why should they take me back? I'm nothing but a traitor . . ."

". . . No."

"Hitomi, you can't deny that I-"

"I'm not denying it. You've made some pretty major mistakes; I as well as all the other Leaf shinobi know that. But even still, all of us, Me, Naruto, Sai, Sakura, and all the other teams have been trying for years to get you to come home. You ever wonder why Tsunade never sent our best ANBU after you? Because we didn't want you dead. _She_ didn't want you dead. We all wanted you back."

"...really?"

"Yeah."

"Hn . . . when can I talk to the Hokage?"

"Right now."

She reached out and took his hand, using her other hand to form the sign for a transportation jutsu.

*Meanwhile in the Hokage Office*

"For the last time, my answer is no! You are not going on another search-and-rescue mission for Sasuke!" Tsunade yelled.

"Oh come on Granny, you have to let us go!" Naruto protested.

"Tsunade-sama, we know where he is, and the hideout's so close! Please just let us go!" Sakura pleaded.

(about this time Hitomi and Sasuke poofed in behind Sakura and Naruto. Hitomi stepped in front of them.)

"There's only one problem with that guys," Hitomi said, "What if he's not there when you get there?"

"Why wouldn't he be?" Naruto exclaimed.

"Because I'm right here."


	18. Is This for Real?

"There's only one problem with that guys; what if he's not there when you get there?"

"Why wouldn't he be?"

"Because I'm right here."

Sakura and Naruto immediately spun around to see Sasuke standing behind them. Sakura and Tsunade continued to stare wide-eyed in shock, but Naruto had Sasuke pinned to the wall kunai at his neck in an instant.

Calmly, he said, "What're you doing here, Sasuke?"

He was ready to fight at any moment. He knew the only reasons Sasuke would dare set foot in the Hokage's office was if he had some crazy attack plan or was coming home for good. He wasn't sure which, so he stayed on edge.

"Let me go you baka."

Sasuke didn't even try to fight back.

"Why should I? For all I know you could be here to kill us all!"

"Yeah, but I'm not. Now let me go."

"Give me one good reason why I should believe you."

Sasuke sighed. _It's just as I thought. They don't really want me back. They can't look past what I've done._

Hitomi watched all this happen from the other side of the room. She had a feeling this would happen. Naruto cares so much for Sasuke, and Hitomi could tell he really wanted to believe him, but with all that he'd been through trying to bring him back . . . she could understand his caution. He was almost afraid to believe it.

"Just tell them, Sasuke," she said.

"What's the difference . . ."

"Sasuke," she said, raising an eyebrow at him.

She knew he was having doubts.

Sasuke sighed. "Fine."

"Well?" Naruto prodded.

"Naruto, since the last time we met up I've been unable to stop thinking about what you and Hitomi said to me. I dreamed about that encounter every night for weeks. Then one night I overheard Madara and Zetsu talking about me. Turns out they were just using me, just like Orochimaru was. Plus there was the truth about my clan and Hitomi being my sister . . . I just realized how much I was being lied to. Then I started to think back to Konoha. You and Sakura and Hitomi were always such good friends and comrades to me, and I realized how much I missed that."

He took a deep breath.

"I know I've made some major mistakes over the last couple years, but I am fully prepared to accept the consequences of my actions. I also realize there are bonds I have broken and damaged between us, and I hope you can forgive me. I understand if you don't believe me."

Naruto looked Sasuke straight in the eye.

"Is all that true, Sasuke?" He asked seriously.

"Every word."

Naruto dropped the kunai and released his grip on Sasuke.

"Then I believe you."

"...Really?"

"Yep."

Naruto put his hands behind his head and returned to his normal relaxed and goofy state.

"Sorry I was so suspicious. Honestly, it was because I can't believe that you're really back." He smiled, than hug-tackled Sasuke. "WELCOME HOME SASUKE!"

Sasuke smirked. "Naruto, Get. Off. Me."

"Heh heh heh"

Sasuke then turned his attention to Sakura, who still hadn't moved, but was softly crying.

"Sakura...I'm sorry, about that night. I'm sorry for all the trouble I've put you through. Can you ever forgive me?"

"Sasuke..." Sakura sobbed.

Sakura grabbed Sasuke in a tight hug. Oddly, this wasn't the typical fan-girl hug. This was the real, I-really-missed-you and yes-I-forgive-you hug. Sasuke just stood there and took it at first, then gently placed a hand on her back comfortingly. Soon she released him, wiped away her tears, and regained her composure.

"Welcome Home Sasuke," she said.

"Thank you Sakura."

"Sasuke," Tsunade said, "You do realize that it's not as simple as you walk in here, say you're sorry, and I hand you your apartment keys and send you on your way, right? You must understand, while I am extremely glad you have decided to come back to Konoha, as Hokage there are measures I have to take regarding your actions the past couple years."

"I understand. I will take full responsibility for my actions."

"But, he came back on his own free will! That's gotta count for something!" Naruto protested.

"Because of that his punishment will be lessened, and if he is willing to give what information he knows to the intelligence division, it will be lessened even more so. Now, Sasuke, some ANBU shinobi will be here in a few minutes. They will take you to your quarters at their base. You'll be housed there until your punishment is complete." Tsunade said.

"I understand." Sasuke said.

"This is great! Team 7 is gettin' back together! As soon as Sasuke gets out, we are going out for RAMEN!" Naruto cheered.

Sasuke smirked. "Yeah, that'd be great Naruto."

"It's gonna be so great going on missions together again. I can't wait!" Sakura exclaimed.

Suddenly, two ANBU appeared in the room.

"Sasuke Uchiha. Come with us," one of them said.

"Hai"

They led him out of the room and Hitomi, Naruto, and Sakura each returned home.


	19. Mission Time!

(Ok so Sasuke finishes his sentence and is back to training with Team 7 blah blah blah TIME SKIP!) ;)

Hitomi, Naruto, and Sasuke were all training at the training grounds. They stopped as they noticed Sakura running across the field towards them.

"Guys! We need to go to the Hokage's office! Tsunade-sama has a mission for us!" Sakura exclaimed.

"All Right! Our first mission as the reunited Team 7!" Naruto shouted and fist-pumped.

Sasuke smirked. "Cool."

"Well, what are you guys standing around waiting for?" Hitomi asked, already half way across the field, "Lets GO!"

"HAI!"

*At Tsunade's Office*

"GRANNY TSUNADAAAAYYYY!" Naruto yelled barging through the door, "NARUTO UZUMAKI AND TEAM 7 REPORTING FOR MISSION ASSIGNMENT!" He sarcastically saluted.

Sasuke facepalmed and sighed, "Naruto..." but then smiled and chuckled.

Sakura sweat dropped. "Oh my gosh . . . what the heck I'm excited too!"

Hitomi busted out laughing. "HITOMI FUJI- I mean UCHIHA ALSO REPORTING FOR MISSION ASSIGNMENT!"

Tsunade just about fell out of her chair of of shock. Then she smiled at them.

"Glad to see you're all excited," she said.

"It **is** our first mission together in years," Sasuke said.

"Well then I suppose I'll cut to the chase. Your mission is to travel to Suna to deliver an **extremely important top secret** message to the Kazekage, and return with any response message he may have. There **will** be people you encounter who want to get their hands on this information, which is why I'm sending the four of you. You leave tomorrow morning. Any questions?"

"Nope!"

"Good. Now, go home and get some rest."

*The Next Day*

Hitomi, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were traveling through the forest towards Suna. So far, they had yet to encounter any enemy forces, but Lady Tsunade was sure they would at some point, so they all stayed totally alert.

"What'd you guys think this message is about that's so important?" Naruto asked.

"I have a feeling it has something to do with war plans. Since Sasuke came back, that's gotta mean major changes in strategy," Sakura said.

"When I first got here, the intelligence division questioned me a lot about what I knew of Madara's plans. I wouldn't be surprised if it has something to do with that," Sasuke said.

They continued on for a few seconds when Hitomi suddenly stopped. She sensed something.

"What is it, Hitomi?" Sakura asked.

She didn't respond. She just flung a kunai into the brush behind them.

*Unknown POV*

"What'd you guys think this message is about that's so important?"

"I have a feeling it has something to do with war plans. Since Sasuke came back, that's gotta mean major changes in strategy."

"When I first got here, the intelligence division questioned me a lot about what I knew of Madara's plans. I wouldn't be surprised if it has something to do with that."

_Ahh,_ I thought_ So Madara's suspicions were correct. Sasuke squealed. Interesting that Tsunade would send these four. I was expecting a team of ANBU . . . oh well, taking these four out now will make things much easier in the future . . . wait, why are they stop-S#!T!_

I dodged the kunai.

"I know you're there. Show yourself!" the dark haired girl yelled.

"Hn. You really are pathetic. Tsunade trusted **you** with this information, and you only **just** noticed me? *steps out* Taking you out will be a pleasure." I said.

They all gasped.


	20. Battle

"I know you're there. Show yourself!"

"Hn. You really are pathetic. Tsunade trusted **you** with this information, and you only **just** noticed me?" He stepped out. "Taking you out will be a pleasure."

Everyone gasped. "Kabuto!"

"Surprised to see me, are you?" He asked.

"What do you want, Kabuto?" Naruto demanded.

"Isn't it obvious, Naruto?" Kabuto asked, "I know that you are carrying a message regarding battle plans to the Kazekage, and I want them. But then again, if I capture Naruto and bring you back to Madara, then your silly little plan will be useless, won't it Sasuke?"

"Shut the Hell up Kabuto!" Sasuke yelled.

"Honestly Sasuke I have to say you surprised me. First you run home like a scared little child and now you're tattling on us? I expected more from you."

"Sasuke's not a little child. He's a brave shinobi loyal to his village!" Sakura protested.

"Ah, but if that is the case, then I am no worse than you and you no better than me. For you see, you serve Konoha and the Hokage, whom you believe to be bringing peace to the world, while I work with Madara, who I believe will bring peace. It's all a matter of perspective."

_This guy is really starting to get on my nerves._ Hitomi thought."So, Kabuto, are we gonna stand around all day chatting or are we gonna get straight to you gettin' your ass kicked?"

"Oh, so you're not going to surrender? Pity, I didn't really feel like killing anyone today...oh well, I guess what must be done must be done."

Next thing Hitomi knew Kabuto was right in front of her, and his hand struck her abdomen. She felt a sudden pain inside her stomach.

_Chakra scalpel...crap... _She thought.

"So the pretty girl's all talk, hmm?" Kabuto taunted.

Kabuto prepared to strike again but Sasuke punched him in the face, _hard_, sending him flying into a nearby tree. Immediately Sakura was by her side healing her wound.

"Don't _EVER _touch my sister, Kabuto," Sasuke threatened.

"Oh so _this_ is your sister. Madara told me about her." Kabuto smirked. "Though he never mentioned how cute she was."

"Shut UP!"

Sasuke charged at Kabuto forming a Chidori in his hand. He thrusted it towards Kabuto but he dodged at the last second.

"Come on Sasuke don't tell me you've gone sof-"

"RASENGAN!"

_Oh sh*t! _Kabuto thought.

Kabuto didn't even have time to react. Naruto hit him dead center of the abdomen.

"Who's pathetic now? You honestly thought you could take us on by yourself?" Naruto taunted.

Kabuto chuckled and stood up to face the four of them.

"Hey wait how are you-?" Naruto questioned.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten? That jutsu doesn't have it's normal effect on me because of my In'yu Shometsu (pre-healing jutsu)," Kabuto said.

"Oh yeah forgot about that one..." Naruto said.

"Hn. You guys are pathetic. _Sen'eijashu _(hidden shadow snake hands)."

They all dodged his attack.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto shouted.

The clones attacked Kabuto but as he destroyed them with another Sen'eijashu Sakura punched him from behind, sending him towards Hitomi and Sasuke.

"Gokakyu no Jutsu! (Fire release: Great Fireball Technique)"

*BOOM*

"Got him!"

Kabuto chuckled. "Fools, with my advanced medical Jutsu and In'yu Shometsu, you can't touch me!"

"Try and heal yourself through this!" Naruto challenged, "Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! (multi shadow clone jutsu)"

The clones attacked from all directions, but Kabuto still held his own.

_This is useless. _Hitomi thought _We__ can't just keep attacking him if he's just going to keep healing himself. We need something that will finish him quick, something he can't heal...that's it!_

She grabbed one of Naruto's shadow clones.

"Hey, I need you to back Kabuto into that tree there, ok? I'll take care of him from there," she told him.

"Right!"

She punched the clone causing it to disappear (thus the memory transferring to the other Narutos) and jumped into a tree behind Kabuto. All the other Narutos got a look of realization and began to back Kabuto towards the tree. Once he had his back to the tree, Naruto stopped and de-activated his Jutsu.

_Why is he stop- _Kabuto thought.

Hitomi swung around the branch so that she was now standing upside-down on the underside of it, face to face with Kabuto. His eyes widened in shock and fear as he noticed her Mangekyo Sharingan staring directly into his eyes.

"Tsukuyomi," she whispered.

*Sasuke POV*

I watched as Hitomi swung around to stand on the underside of the branch; face-to-face with Kabuto.

_What is she doing?_

They both stood still for a few seconds then all of a sudden Kabuto dropped to the ground. Hitomi jumped off the branch.

"Who's all talk now?" she said.

"Hitomi? What did you just do?" I asked.

"Tsukuyomi"

_That's impossible! I don't even have the Tsukuyomi mastered to that level yet!_

"You can use Tsukuyomi?" Sakura said, surprised.

"Yeah I figured it out right after that time we fought Madara and Sasuke in the Land of Iron."

_What! _I thought.

"Yeah! Hitomi that was awesome! Believe it!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Thanks Naruto!" Hitomi said, "Now, what're we gonna do with him..."

"Heh . . . you won't . . . do anything . . . " Kabuto said.

"Crap Stop him!"

Before any of them could do anything Kabuto escaped using his Body Flame Technique.

"Kuso! He got away!" Naruto swore.

"Should we try and go after him?" Sakura asked.

"No," Hitomi said, "Our mission is to deliver this message. We can deal with him later. Lets go."


	21. Suna

A few days later they reached Suna. They went straight to the Kazekage building and to Gaara's office, but they were stopped by a guard.

"I'm sorry but Lord Kazekage is extremely busy right now and cannot be disturbed," the guard said.

"Come on seriously? This is important!" Naruto exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, but you're going to have to leave," the guard said, becoming annoyed.

"Why you-"

"Cut it out Naruto! Sir, do you know who we are?" Hitomi asked.

"Umm..."

"We are shinobi from Konoha. This is Sakura Haruno, medical-nin and apprentice to the fifth Hokage, Tsunade. Naruto Uzumaki, Toad Sage, Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Konoha's hero, and apprentice to legendary sanin Jiraiya. Sasuke Uchiha, Uchiha prodigy, Mangekyo Sharingan wielder, and former missing-nin. And I am Hitomi Uchiha, Konoha jonin, Mangekyo Sharingan wielder, and Sasuke's sister. We are under strict orders to deliver a top-secret S-rank message to Ga-...Lord Kazekage. Now, if you don't mind, would you please let us in?"

"Uhh...yeah...s-sure."

"Thank you!" she said, her serious "don't mess with me" face instantly changing to a cheerful smile. They all walked into Gaara's office.

"Hey Gaara!" Naruto greeted.

"Naruto, Sakura, Hitomi, nice to see you again. And Sasuke, I'm glad to see you've returned."

"Thanks." Sasuke said blankly. Hitomi looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He had a serious look on his face.

_Hm. Probably still peeved about not being able to beat him at the Chunin exams and the Kage summit._ She thought,_ He's so competitive._

"Now then, how can I help you?" Gaara asked.

"Tsunade-sama sent us here to bring you this message," Sakura said, pulling out the scroll, "It contains top secret information regarding the war."

"Hn. That's interesting," Gaara said as he took the scroll from her.

"Yeah since Sasuke came back he's been able to supply us with a wealth of information concerning Madara's plans," Hitomi said.

"Well, in that case, thank you Sasuke, and thanks to all of you for delivering this to me."

"No problem." Sasuke stated.

_Yep, definitely still peeved. _Hitomi thought.

"Anytime!" Naruto said.

"I'll call a meeting tonight with Suna's leaders. Sasuke, would you be willing to come to the meeting to answer any questions the others may have? Or do you need to return to Konoha immediately?"

"Sure." Sasuke replied.

_Oh, get over it already!_

"We were planning on leaving tomorrow," Sakura informed.

"Good. You are invited to stay with me for the night. If you go up the stairway to the right of my office there are guest rooms there. Sasuke and Naruto, there are two rooms to the left you can use, Sakura, you can use one of the rooms to the right, and Hitomi, there's a room strait ahead from the stairs past a few closets you may use."

"Arigato."

It was starting to get late so they all decided to turn in for the night. Sasuke and Naruto went to their rooms and Sakura turned into hers as Hitomi continued down the hall.

"G'night guys," Hitomi said, yawning.

"Good night," Sasuke mumbled.

"Sleep well," Sakura said with a smile.

"C'ya in the morning," Naruto said loudly.

Hitomi caught a glimpse of Sakura's room as she walked in. _Dang, these rooms are nice!_she thought. She walked down the hallway towards her room. _Wonder why mine's all the way down here..._ She opened the door and stopped. In front of her was a very small room with a simple twin bed and a nightstand. _Oh sure, give me the small room. Thanks Gaara. _She sighed._ At least it has a window. _She walked over to the window, opened it up, and leaned against the windowsill sticking her head out.

"Wow, what a nice view..." she said to herself.

"I agree."

She looked up to see Gaara sticking his head out a window on the next floor.

"Hi!" he said.

"Hey!...um, question."

"Yes?"

"What's with making me sleep in the tiny room on the opposite side of the building? What about the room next to Sakura's?"

"Who says you're sleeping in that room?"

_You did!...oh I get it_

Hitomi giggled. "Well then, Gaara, where will I be sleeping, hm?" she asked playfully.

Hitomi watched as Gaara's sand came down from his window to hers. It wrapped around her body and lifted her out the window and up to Gaara's.

"Why, with me of course."


	22. Another Night with the Kazekage

Hitomi giggled. "Well then, Gaara, where will I be sleeping, hm?"

"Why, with me of course."

Gaara wrapped his arms around her and lifted her through the window. He carried her over to his bed, setting her down on the silky sheets. His hand caressed her face.

"It's been so long since I've seen you Hitomi, I've missed you."

"I missed you too Gaara-kun."

They closed the gap between their lips. Gaara pushed her down on his bed and rubbed at her sides. Before she knew it her top and bra were both gone, and Gaara was massaging her cleavage. She moaned as his lips traced from her mouth to her neck, eventually landing on her soft spot. She was gonna have to wear her hair down tomorrow.

His lips made his way from her neck to her cleavage, and once again began kissing, sucking, and nibbling.

"mmm...Gaara-kun..."

After several minutes, Gaara moved from her cleavage down her stomach to the top of her pj pants. He slid them off, his hands rubbing down her legs in the process. He noticed her black lace panties and looked at her with a smirk. He then proceeded to take them off; with his mouth. His fingers rubbed at and around 'herself' as he kissed his way back up her legs. Hitomi moaned and squirmed a bit as his fingers played with her for several minutes. She moaned louder as he removed his fingers and began licking and nibbling at 'herself.'

Gaara moved his face back up to hers.

She smirked at him. "Somebody's not wasting any time, hm?"

He smiled. "Well, since we don't get to see each other very often, I intend of taking full advantage of every moment I have with you."

She laughed. "Good, because so do I."

Hitomi brought her lips to his in a passionate kiss as her hands traced his muscular chest and abs. Her hands soon found their way to his pants and slipped them off along with his boxers. Her hand wrapped around 'himself' and started pumping at a steady pace. Gaara closed his eyes and moaned in pleasure. Soon Hitomi were on top of Gaara and her hand was pumping even faster. His moans intensified and she knew he was getting close to the edge. She brought her mouth to 'himself' and began sucking while her hand still pumped at the base. He soon came into her mouth and she swallowed.

As Hitomi wiped the corners of her mouth, she looked up to see Gaara with a grin spread across his face. She froze. It wasn't the pleasure smile she expected. She could see lust and pleasure in his eyes, but also . . . evil?

_Almost like his old, bloodthirsty grin . . ._

She felt his sand wrap around her arms, legs, and torso. She was pinned to the bed and Gaara crawled on top of her, still grinning.

"G-Gaara-kun?" she questioned, still unsure weather or not to be afraid.

He chuckled then said in a low, husky voice:

"You're mine now, Hitomi-chan"

He pushed 'himself' into 'herself' and began going at a steady pace. Hitomi moaned in pleasure and spread her legs wider. Gaara caught the hint and sped up his pace so that he was pounding into her. As his pace quickened Hitomi felt a shudder run through her body and she screamed out his name as she climaxed. Gaara followed not much later.

Several positions, climaxes, and hours later, Gaara lay on his back as Hitomi snuggled up to his chest.

"You have to leave tomorrow, don't you?" He asked.

". . . yeah . . ."

"I'll miss you Hitomi-chan."

"I'll miss you too Gaara-kun."

He kissed her forehead as she drifted off to sleep on his chest.


	23. How Could This Happen?

*3 Weeks Later*

Hitomi sat on her bed curled into a ball crying her eyes out.

_What am I gonna do? _she thought.

Earlier this morning she was in the bathroom puking her guts out.

"Uhh, Hitomi? Are you all right in there?" Sasuke said from the other side of the door.

"I, I think I'll be -umph- fine. You go without me. I'll just stay here and -umph- rest."

"Uhh, okay then. You sure you don't want me to stay?"

"It's fine Sasuke, just -umph- go."

She had a feeling it was more than just the flu, so as soon as Sasuke was gone she ran to the store and bought a pregnancy test. She brought it home and her suspicions were confirmed. She was pregnant. So now, here she was, crying on her bed. Hitomi and Gaara had decided that since he was the Kazekage and they lived in different villages it would just be easier for everybody if they kept their relationship to themselves. But this complicated things. It wouldn't be hard for to find out she was pregnant before too long, what would she tell them?

_What do I do?_

Just then, Sasuke walked through her door.

"Hey Hitomi, you feeling better?" he asked.

She looked up at him, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

"Ohmygosh what happened? Are you ok? What's wrong?" he asked frantically.

Naruto and Sakura walked through the door.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked.

"Hitomi, are you ok?" Sakura asked.

Hitomi just looked at them.

"Hitomi please, what's wrong?" Sasuke pleaded.

She couldn't speak, so she just pointed at the bathroom door. Sasuke glanced at Naruto and Sakura before getting up and walking towards the bathroom. Sakura and Naruto sat on either side of her. As Sasuke entered the bathroom, she buried he face into Sakura's shoulder. Sakura put her arm around her and Naruto began to rub her back soothingly.

"Shh. It'll be ok," Sakura comforted.

Sasuke walked out of the bathroom.

"Hitomi, what the Hell is this?"

She lifted her head to look at him. His fists were clenched as he held up the pregnancy test. He was so angry he was shaking.

"HITOMI!"

"Sasuke calm down." Naruto said.

"CALM DOWN? CALM DOWN! WHAT'DYA MEAN CALM DOWN? I JUST FOUND OUT SOME GUY FUCKED MY LITTLE SISTER AND GOT HER FUCKING PREGNANT! DON'T YOU TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!"

Hitomi stared at the ground.

"Who?" Sasuke demanded.

"I-I can't tell you..." Hitomi stuttered.

"DAMN IT HITOMI WHO IS IT?"

Suddenly Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the collar and pinned him against the wall.

"SERIOUSLY SASUKE you need to RELAX! This is NOT the way to handle this! Now calm down so we can figure this out!" he yelled.

Sasuke sighed. "Fine."

Naruto released his grip on him.

"Hitomi, I'm sorry. I guess I'm just a little protective," Sasuke apologized.

"It's ok," Hitomi said.

"Ok, so what do we do?" Naruto asked.

"You have to tell him, Hitomi," Sakura said.

"I know, but . . . it's just . . ." She sighed.

"I'll go with you if you want," Sakura offered.

"Yeah, me too!" Naruto said.

"Really? You guys are the best. . . . there's just one thing . . ."

"What's that?" Sakura asked.

"He . . . He lives in Suna."

Sasuke lost it again.

"Well that's just great! I can see it now! 'Excuse me, Lady Tsunade, but Sakura, Naruto, Hitomi, and I will be unavailable for missions for the next week or so. Why you ask? Because we have to travel ALL THE WAY TO FUCKING SUNA TO TELL HITOMI'S BOYFRIEND OR WHATEVER THAT HE GOT HER PREGNANT!'"

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted.

Sasuke sighed. "Right. Sorry." He sighed again. "When are we leaving?"

"I'm good with tomorrow morning," Sakura said.

"Me too," said Naruto.

"Ok. We'll meet at the gates at 8 am." Sasuke said.

After Sakura and Naruto left, Hitomi sent a message to Gaara:

Gaara,

I have something very important I need to talk to you about. I'm leaving for Suna tomorrow morning and should be there in about two days. Meet me in the roof garden at 9PM. Just so you know, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke will be there too.

I Love You

Hitomi


	24. We're Going to Suna

They met at the gates at 8 am. Sasuke had barely said two words to Hitomi all morning. He was obviously still pissed off. As the four of them began on their way to Suna, his silence continued. She was about to say something to him when Sakura came over next to Hitomi.

"Are you feeling better today, Hitomi?" she asked.

"Yeah, I haven't felt sick since yesterday."

"Good." She paused, then whispered, "Has Sasuke been like this all morning?"

"Yeah," Hitomi whispered, "He's still mad about this whole thing. I don't blame him though. He is my older brother after all."

They found a clear spot and set up camp for the night. Hitomi volunteered to be the first to keep watch. As she sat outside the tents staring into the fire, her mind was focused on tomorrow. She worried about how Gaara would react, but she almost worried more about how Sasuke would react. The last time he and Gaara saw each other, it was obvious Sasuke still held a bit of a grudge against him. She really hoped this wouldn't turn out to be an all ought fight between Gaara and Sasuke . . .

The next morning the four of them set out bright and early. Sasuke was much more vocal today, however . . .

"I swear, as soon as I see him, he better be ready 'cause he's gettin' his ass kicked!" he exclaimed.

"Sasuke . . ." Sakura said.

"What, did he think he was gonna get away with it? No way, as soon as I see him, I swear . . ."

"Sasuke will you calm down!" Naruto yelled.

"Shut up Naruto! . . . Oh man he's in for it. I swear he's in for it."

It didn't take long for all of them to give up on trying to shut him up. He just kept going on and on how he was gonna beat the crap out of this guy and he was gonna be sorry. Hitomi was beginning to wish he'd just go back to giving her the cold shoulder, but no such luck. Just as Suna came into view, Naruto dropped back by Hitomi.

"Uhh, Hitomi?" Naruto whispered, "Umm, how much trouble would this guy be in if Sasuke got to him? I mean, what if Sakura and I can't hold him back?"

"Well," she whispered, "He can definitely hold his own. A fight between him and Sasuke would definitely be interesting, and I'm honestly not sure who would win, but if we can prevent a fight at all that'd be best."

"Oh yeah of corse, I mean, y'know, I just wanted to make sure."

"Yeah, thanks." Hitomi smiled at him.

The group walked through the gates of Suna at about quarter to nine.

"So, where exactly are we going, Hitomi?" Sakura asked.

"He's meeting us on the roof of a building near the Kazekage building in fifteen minutes," Hitomi said.

"Alright. Lets go." Sasuke said.

They got to the roof and waited for Gaara. Hitomi was nervously pacing, Sasuke stood at the edge of the roof staring (well, kind of glaring) into space and messing with a kunai in his hand, and Naruto and Sakura stood between the two of them, trying to keep their eyes on both the two of them and the surrounding area. At 9:00 exactly, he showed up, wearing his red coat and vest rather than his robes. Naruto's and Sakura's eyes widened.

Gaara and Hitomi's eyes locked onto each other.

"Hey . . ."

"Hello Hitomi"


	25. Oh Brother!

*Sasuke's POV*

I stood at the edge of the roof, staring into space and messing with a kunai, waiting for this guy to show up. He better be a good fighter or hope someone holds me back because if not, ooh he's gonna get it! Suddenly, I sensed a presence approaching and Naruto and Sakura gasped.

"Hey . . ." I heard Hitomi say.

"Hello Hitomi."

_No way . . ._ I thought.

I turned around and my eyes widened.

_No way . . . not him!_

"You!" I yelled.

Instantly I knew I had to rethink my strategy. Obviously, my original "give the guy a few hard hits to teach him a lesson" wasn't gonna work here, plus I had to keep in mind if this escalated too much the relationship between Suna and Konoha could be jeopardized.

He gave me a questioning (but...confident) look.

"What?" he asked.

I glared at him, still trying to decide what to do. He looked at Hitomi (who was watching me) then looked back to me and smirked.

_Ok, now you're in for it!_

*Gaara's POV*

"You!"

I looked to see Sasuke standing near the edge of the roof.

"What?" I asked.

He just glared at me. I looked at Hitomi, who was looking at Sasuke, then looked back at him. I smiled as I realized it.

He found out about us.

Suddenly he activated his Sharingan and charged at me kunai in hand. I easily caught him in my sand as he attempted to attack me. I raised an eyebrow (so to speak) at him.

"Let. Me. Go." he demanded.

"There are better ways to handle this, Sasuke," I said.

"What do you know? You fucked my sister and got her fuckin' pregnant!"

*3rd person POV*

Gaara froze and his eyes widened. Sakura sighed and rolled her eyes, and Naruto face palmed. On the outside, Hitomi was frozen and her eyes were locked on Gaara. On the inside, she was freaking out. She was terrified of how Gaara would react _before_ Sasuke sprung it on him. Gaara slowly turned his head to look at her, eyes still wide.

"Hitomi . . ." he said.

He walked over to her.

"Hitomi, is that . . . are you . . . ?"

". . . yes . . ." she whispered.

"Umm HELLO? Still trapped here!" Sasuke complained.

Gaara turned towards Sasuke and released him from the sand, then turned back to her.

"Can we talk . . ." He glanced at Sasuke "somewhere else?"

". . . yeah . . . sure . . ." Hitomi said.


	26. Talk

Gaara led Hitomi to a small room on the top floor of the building they had been standing on. He walked across the room and stood at the window (which was basically the entire wall) and looked out over his village. He was obviously deep in thought. Hitomi stood in the middle of the room facing him, tears already beginning to fall from herr eyes.

_I knew it._ Hitomi thought,_ He doesn't want this. He _**_can't_**_ want it. He's the Kazekage, the last thing he needs is a child to worry about. Any moment, he's gonna turn around and say 'Sorry Hitomi, but I can't do this. It's over.'_

As the thought crossed her mind, a wimpier escaped as she began to cry harder. Gaara _immediately_ turned around, a shocked and worried expression on his face.

"Hitomi! Hitomi don't cry!" he said.

He went to wrap his arms around her but she pushed him away.

"Hitomi, please don't-"

"It's ok Gaara, I understand. A baby is probably the last thing you need right now and if you don't want-"

She was cut off by Gaara's lips smashing into hers. Her eyes widened in shock. As Gaara broke the kiss, he took her face in his hands and looked directly into her eyes.

"Hitomi, don't **ever** think like that. I Love You with all my heart, and I will never leave you, especially for something like this. I'm excited for our child to be born."

"Gaara . . ."

She buried her face into his chest, snuggling her entire body up to him. His strong arms wrapped around her and held her tightly to him. They stayed like that for several minutes. Then, Gaara loosened his grip and backed away a few steps. He blushed a bright red. Hitomi looked at him in confusion.

"Umm . . . I've, kinda wanted to do this for a while, and this isn't exactly how I had it planned, but, umm . . ."

He pulled a small box out of his pocket and knelt down in front of her.

"Hitomi, I Love You so much. You are my whole world and I want to be there to care for and protect you my entire life. Will you marry me?"

Hitomi was shocked. She smiled as tears of joy slowly fell from her eyes.

"Of course I will Gaara! I Love You too!"


	27. The Big Day

Hitomi stood behind a beautiful double door in the back of the small church. She could hear the music playing from inside as she waited for them to open. She felt the butterflies in her stomach as the music changed tunes.

This was it.

The doors opened and she floated through. All of her and Gaara's friends were there, along with some important officials and such. Hitomi could feel their eyes on her as she slowly walked down the isle, eyes fixed straight ahead. Sakura, Temari, and Hinata stood on the left, each holding a single red rose. Naruto, Kankuro, and Sasuke on the right, each with a white rose boutonniere.

But her eyes were fixed on Gaara in the middle.

He stood there watching her with a soft smile on his face. Hitomi smiled and continued walking. When she reached the front of the church, Gaara extended his hand and her placed her hand in his. She handed her bouquet to Sakura and stood facing the preacher.

"We are gathered here today to . . . "

The preacher went on with the normal introduction and such. Hitomi sighed, trying to relieve some tension. She felt Gaara squeeze her hand. She turned her head slightly and looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He smiled and winked at her. She smiled back shyly as a blush creeped onto her face.

"Gaara, to you take this woman to be your wedded wife?"

"I do"

"Hitomi, to you take this man to be your wedded husband?"

"I do"

"Then I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Gaara cupped Hitomi's face in one hand and placed the other on her back, pulling her in for a deep kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed back. After a few moments she broke the kiss and looked into Gaara's light blue-green eyes. He smiled as he offered his arm to her and she took it. He walked her down the isle as the others cheered. She smiled.

_Best. Day. Ever!_


	28. I'm Scared

*Time Skip*

Hitomi sat in a chair by a window overlooking the village; her hand resting on her now swollen stomach. She snapped out of her daze as she heard the door open and close.

"Hitomi? I'm home."

"Hey Gaara-kun," She greeted him with a kiss.

"How are you feeling today?"

"I'm feeling pretty good today."

"Good. I have a few papers to fill out, so I'll be in the office if you need anything, alright?"

"Okay."

Hitomi sat back down in the chair and picked up a book sitting on a side table. She was a few pages in when she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. _Ugh . . . was that a . . . contraction? _she thought. She took note of the time, knowing if that's what it was it was no use going to the hospital until they were close together. She barely got back into her book when she felt the sharp pain again. _That was fast . . . !_

Hitomi walked to the door of the office and stepped in.

"Gaara-kun? I think-UGH!"

Another contraction hit, this one hurting more than before. Gaara was immediately at her side.

"Hitomi-chan, are you alright?"

"The baby's coming. **Fast.**"

A mixture of joy and panic hit Gaara.

"I'll bring you to the hospital."

As soon as they got to the hospital Hitomi was sent to a room with a midwife and medical-nin. Gaara sat by her side and held her hand. Sweat formed on her brow as the contractions became closer and stronger.

"Lady Hitomi, when you feel your next contraction, start pushing," the midwife said.

Her body tensed as she felt the contraction. She squeezed Gaara's hand and pushed.

"That's it. Keep pushing!" the midwife encouraged.

She screamed in pain as the next contraction hit.

"It's alright Hitomi. I'm here," Gaara comforted, "Just keep pushing."

She gathered her strength and pushed through the contraction. And the next. And the next. And the next. Until finally . . .

"AAAAAAH! AAH-eh-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

She smiled as relief swept through her body and she heard her child's cries. Gaara gave her a soft kiss.

"Well done my Love," he said to her.


	29. Family

A few days later, Hitomi and the baby were able to go home. As Hitomi walked in the door, she was surprised to see Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, Temari, and Kankuro.

"SUPRISE!" Naruto yelled.

"Welcome home!" Temari exclaimed.

"I got baby toys!" said Kankuro.

"How are you feeling?" Sasuke asked.

"How's the baby?" Sakura asked.

"Whoa, umm, oh my gosh, thank you, that's great, I'm fine, and she's doing well. She fell asleep on the way here." Hitomi said.

"Aww, so it's a little girl!" Sakura said.

"Ohh, she's so cute!" Temari said.

"What's her name?" Sasuke asked.

"Takara. Sabaku no Takara," Hitomi answered.

"Hey Takara! Jeez you're cute!" Naruto said.

Takara slowly opened her eyes as she awoke from her nap.

"Move over Naruto! Aunt Temari's gotta hold her new niece!" Temari said.

"Heyy, what about Uncle Kankuro?" Kankuro asked.

"I thought you didn't like kids," Gaara said.

"Yeah," Kankuro said, "but this is different. I gotta make an exception for my bro's kid!"

"Hey, she's my niece too!" Sasuke said.

"What about us?" Naruto and Sakura asked.

"You can be honorary Aunts and Uncles too," Gaara said.

"YES!"

Hitomi sat down in a chair to rest as the others fussed over Takara.

"Tell you what, Takara. When your older, you're Aunt Temari's gonna take you shopping all the time!" Temari said.

"Yeah! And Uncle Naruto's gonna take you to ramen!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Do you think she'll have the Sharingan?" Sasuke wondered.

"You're gonna be so pretty when you get older!" Sakura said.

"Look Takara! Look what Uncle Kankuro brought you! A puppet toy!" Kankuro exclaimed.

"That better not have weapons in it!" Temari threatened.

"It doesn't . . . yet . . ."

"KANKURO!"

As Hitomi watched she smiled and sighed. She felt someone's hands rubbing her shoulders. She turned her head to see Gaara standing behind her.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm just so happy to see all our family together like this."

"Hn. I am too."

"I Love You Gaara-kun"

"I Love You too Hitomi-chan."


	30. Sabaku no Takara

"Bye Mommy! I Love You!" Takura yelled.

"I Love You Too Sweetheart!" Hitomi exclaimed.

"Have a good day. I Love You," Gaara said.

"You too. Get lots done, save the village and all that. I Love You."

Hitomi watched as her daughter skipped down the driveway holding her father's hand, her red hair flowing behind her. Takara has been a little daddy's girl ever since she was born. She was now eight years old and starting her first day at Suna's Ninja Academy. She already knew a few basics like kunai throwing and some taijutsu from what her aunts, uncles, Hitomi, and Gaara had taught her. They already found out that she does in fact possess the Sharingan and can control sand like her father. Sasuke thinks she has either wind or earth chakra, and definitely has the potential to learn both if she doesn't posses them naturally.

She's already began talking about how she wants to be Kazekage when she grows up (Gaara and Naruto have really worn off on her). She likes playing dolls with Uncle Kankuro (since he could 'bring them to life') and eating ramen with Uncle Naruto. Aunt Temari and Aunt Sakura took her shopping for ninja clothes and tools last week and she had a blast (she's really not into the super girly things though). And she just _adores_ Uncle Sasuke, who is already teaching her how to use her Sharingan.

Hitomi smiled to herself as Gaara nd Takura disappeared from view. She thought back to that day so long ago . . .

_"Aren't you gonna run away from me too?"_

_"No, why would I run away?"_

_"Because I'm a monster."_

_"You're not a monster silly! Monsters are big and scary and you're just a boy."_

_"Didn't you see what I did with the sand?"_

_"Yeah, and that was the COOLEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN!"_

_"You . . . you really think so?"_

_"Yup. Oh hey I'm Hitomi. What's your name?"_

_"G-Gaara"_

_"Ok Garra, you're gonna be my new best friend!"_

Who would've thought it would end up like this?

*****THE END!*****


End file.
